Marijuana Cultivator Convicted
SACRAMENTO, CA - United States Attorney Benjamin B. Wagner and Drug Enforcement Administration Special Agent in Charge Anthony D. Williams announced that Jian Hong Liang, 29, of San Francisco, was found guilty today for his involvement in an indoor marijuana growing operation in Sacramento and Elk Grove. The guilty verdict was returned by a federal court jury in Sacramento after a four-day trial before United States District Judge Edward J. Garcia.
According to testimony presented at trial, between November 2005 and September 1, 2006, Liang and several others maintained 21 houses in the Sacramento and Elk Grove area for the sole purpose of growing marijuana. Agents recovered approximately 13,849 marijuana plants and marijuana plant root balls from 20 of the homes. The homes in Sacramento and Elk Grove were acquired through mortgage fraud.
This case is the product of an extensive investigation by the Elk Grove Police Department, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigation. Assistant United States Attorney Heiko P. Coppola prosecuted the case.
Liang is scheduled to be sentenced by Judge Garcia on September 16, 2011. He faces a maximum sentence of life in prison. The actual sentence, however, will be determined at the discretion of the court after consideration of any applicable statutory factors and the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, which take into account a number of variables.
